Meant To Be
by Alyson Foster
Summary: A Feltson one-shot.


Hi! This is my first time writing a Feltson fic, and I hope y'all will enjoy it! Just a heads-up, I use BrE spelling so don't go around thinking I've made spelling mistakes! :P

Disclaimer: I own none of the persons/characters in this story. However, I do own the plot and I'm mighty proud of it.

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_**~ People who are meant**__** to be together **__**will always**__** find their way **__**back to each other**__**. They might take detours in life, but they're never lost. ~**_

Emma heaved an exhausted sigh as she opened the door of her Oxford flat. She had just broken up with her latest boyfriend. She wasn't too heartbroken though, thankfully – she had been through break-ups far too many times. She flicked on the switch by the door, and instantly her dark and empty apartment was illuminated with a dim orange light from the lamps installed over her lounge. Emma plopped herself on the couch wearily and closed her eyes to ponder. Just how many boyfriends have she been through? There was Jay Barrymore, that jerk Francis Boulle, George Craig, the really cute Johnny Simmons, Adam Brown, Joe Wolff, Tom Ducker, Tom English and maybe other meaningless flings she didn't even remember… Well, one thing she knows for sure is that there is now another person to add to her string of ex-boyfriends –Will Adamovicz. Emma is not happy; she hasn't been truly happy for the past years. Sure, she's got great friends and a wonderful family but there was always a hole in her heart that she could not fill.

Tom.

The thought of that name made her feel a slight pang. What was it with that name? That was when the realisation struck her. Why of course, a certain Draco Malfoy just happened to bear the name Tom. Emma fell into a state of nostalgia as she reminisced the days back when she was shooting a scene for Prisoner of Azkaban with her fellow cast mates. In particular, the scene in the Forbidden Forest when Hagrid was introducing his Care for Magical Creatures third-year class to Buckbeak the Hippogriff. The cast had just wrapped up the scene and they were granted a short break. Daniel and Rupert had run off to the snacks table to refill their rumbling stomachs and Emma was left alone as her two best friends had left her. The rest of her Gryffindor cast mates had all scattered to God knows where too. Noticing that Tom was also standing alone by one of the trees, Emma approached him.

"Hi, Tom! I see we're both abandoned by our respective housemates?" chimed Emma.

"If it isn't Granger… Don't come near me, you mudblood!" joked Tom. They both laughed. Emma and Tom started to talk about their respective homeschooling tasks and chatted away about how they were coping with their studies. Tom looked considerably impressed and intimidated at the same time upon hearing Emma's story about how she managed to complete her mountain of assignments for the week while he hadn't even started on one worksheet.

"You are insane, Em!" exclaimed Tom as he placed one hand on Emma's shoulder. Emma felt that part of her skin tingle. Then, she shot him a cheeky grin before saying, "Why on earth are you tying your jumper around your hips? That's for girls to do!" Emma naughtily snatched the black-and-green Slytherin jumper off his hips and tied it around hers. She looked up at him and smiled, "See? It looks better on girls this way." Tom gave her a fake once-over and pretended to consider her look seriously. "Hmm, you might be right. But maybe it looks nice just because it's you wearing it, Emma," commented Tom. He gave her a warm smile and Emma felt blood rush to her cheeks. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?" she thought. Suddenly, Alfonso, the director called out her name and asked to talk to her regarding the next shot. Taking Tom in a one-armed hug, Emma pecked on his cheek and whispered him goodbye. She waved her hand at him before finally walking over to Alfonso.

Emma heaved another sigh once she drifted back to reality. Tom… She had the longest crush on him. He was easily the most attractive boy on set back in the days when puberty had not transformed Dan, Rupert, Matt or Devon into handsome men themselves. Tom had sandy blond hair although he dyed it icy blond for the movies and brilliant blue eyes. He had that charming smile that warmed everyone's hearts and not to forget, a tall and built body that made girls worldwide weak. Emma had admitted to having a crush of him in the first two movies of the franchise, but the truth is that she lied. If she were to be entirely honest with herself, that crush on him never faded away. In fact, it was growing even stronger with every passing year. He grew up to be not only a handsome and charming man, but also a caring and compassionate friend. All those small flattering comments he had made to her over the years were never forgotten and made her fall for him. Of course, nobody in the world knew of Emma's massive crush on her Slytherin cast mate. She just couldn't bear to tell anyone – she was utterly embarrassed with her silly and pathetic unrequited love. Especially now that Tom has been dating his girlfriend Jade Olivia for nearly five years, Emma just could not reveal her crush, not when she still harboured such deep feelings for him.

Feeling flustered, Emma got up to grab herself some strawberries from the refrigerator. Thank goodness she still had some – sweet, juicy strawberries make her feel better at times like this. She just couldn't come to terms with the thought that she was becoming more and more "Hollywood" lately - changing boyfriends so frequently as if they were just her toys. No, Emma was far from being that kind of girl. She's a sappy romantic, a believer of true love. However, with her ever-increasing string of meaningless flings, she was starting to doubt herself.

What am I doing wrong? Why can't I find someone whom I can love with all my heart and loves me just as much? Emma has been juggling these questions in her mind for the past few months, only to end up with several more break-ups to worsen her frustration. Her thoughts floated away again to the after-party of the Prisoner of Azkaban premiere years ago...

Almost all of her cast mates were there, but they'd left her alone while they all went off chatting with people other than her. Again. However, she was in no least bit agitated, as she would always have Tom in her company. "Hi, don't you look dashing, Emma!" called Tom as he approached Emma. Emma replied him with a flushed smile. They've grown much closer to each other in the last few months of POA shooting, and Emma's crush on him was growing just as rapidly. She couldn't help but take hint of Tom's feelings towards her - he seemed to be returning hers. There had been a knowing atmosphere between them for months as if they both realised their romantic fondness for each other but none of them had the guts to speak up about it. Nonetheless, they had since started to act more comfortably around each other and more affectionately too, in such a way that they aroused suspicions among many people, not excluding their cast mates and fans.

Emma smiled to herself as she recalled the numerous Tom-related questions thrown at her in POA press conferences. Neither Tom nor her ever officially publicised their "relationship" but she knew that there were too many obvious evidences that left the fans speculating their relationship. She never denied any rumours, leaving everyone to believe that there was indeed something special between Tom and her... This, however, was what hurt her the most. There never was anything real between them. As much as Emma liked to believe that Tom had returned her crush, she never heard any words from him to prove herself right. Never did he actually do anything to show his feelings for her. All that she thought were acts of flattery to impress her, might just be acts of pure kindness that would not be anything surprising coming from the charming and gentlemanly Tom. Besides, it was in that very year that Tom started going out with Melissa Tamschick. Emma did not remember or even know much about her - she was rather low profile. All Emma knew was that Melissa's arrival made her feel hurt and not to mention heartbroken, although nobody ever knew that.

"Quit thinking about him, Em. He now has a girlfriend and has been very happy with her for years. Don't be an idiot. He only sees you as a little sister," Emma scolded herself, to no avail. She still couldn't stop her wandering thoughts.

Emma decided to prepare for bed, as she was exhausted. The day had been eventful. She had discovered Will making out with some freshman girl in the college bar and did not hesitate for even a second to slap him right across the face. Being drunk at that moment, he was not aware what had been going on when he felt his cheek burn. Hurt, Emma broke off their relationship and stormed out off the bar in an instant. Will, suddenly returning to reality, tried to chase her in order to explain his momentary indiscretion. However, Emma knew deep down that the incident was more of an excuse for her to break up with Will than it was his unforgivable mistake. Everybody makes mistakes and Emma is always willing to give second chances to those deserving. She just didn't love Will as much as she would like to. She had to let go of him and stop using him as a "substitute". Emma felt horrible. Although she did not truly love Will, he had been a great boyfriend and a good friend to her. Will surely would have an acceptable reason for his actions in the bar. He must've felt extremely guilty but Emma didn't even give him a chance to clear himself up. Deciding that she wouldn't be able to sleep if she didn't do something about it, Emma resolved to text Will.

- _I'm sure you have a perfect explanation for what happened today, but I just want to say that I should be the one apologising. I knew perfectly well that you're not that kind of person, but I'd be lying if I said that you really broke my heart. Truth is I'm glad this incident happened because it gave me a chance to let you go. I can't love you as much as I'd like to, and you deserve much more than me. I'm deeply sorry, Will. I wish you all the best and I really hope that you'll find a girl who truly loves you. I am thankful to have known you. You were a wonderful boyfriend. Please forgive me._ -

It was the toughest 'send' button Emma had ever had to press. Leaving her bag and coat on the counter in the kitchen, Emma made her way towards the bathroom. As she waited for her bathtub to fill, she went to her walk-in closet in her bedroom to grab a set of pajamas and a pair of pants. She chose a light grey T-shirt and a pair of salmon pink pajama bottoms. Next, she went to choose soap for her relaxing bubble bath. She collected an array of bath soaps - lavender, jasmine, green tea, rose, frangipani... At last, she settled on jasmine. After making sure that her bath was at the right temperature, Emma poured in the soap and dipped inside the tub.

She felt immediate relaxation as the scent of jasmine saturated her nostrils and the warmth of the water encompassed her tall yet small figure. Emma closed her eyes and her thoughts brought her back to her nostalgia yet again...

In 2008, Emma accepted her close buddy, Jay's proposal to be his girlfriend. She couldn't reject him - he was her only suitor at that moment and thus it would be too offensive to reject him. Moreover, she felt comfortable and loved around him. She really liked him; she did, but like is not love... It was only when Jay and her broke off their relationship after two years did she realise that. Tom also dated someone new not long after Jay and Emma started going out. He found himself a girl named Jade Olivia, whom he had been courting ever since. At least, he still was the last time Emma heard about him. Jade was simply beautiful. She was tall and had flawless curves. Her crown was her lovely raven hair and her accessories were her outstanding facial features. She was also quite fair yet her skin has kind of an exotic glow to it. Situations had always become awkward between Tom and Emma ever since POA due to their history, but in 2008 the tension between them was almost unbearable. They were not half as close as they used to be and often avoided each other as much as they could. For Emma, she did so because her sadness would show in her expression every time she was around him, and she thought that it was better to stay away from him than get hurt. It had been four years since POA, but Emma never forgot about what she thought she had with Tom.

Without realising it, Emma had been in the bath for almost an hour and it was nearly 10 pm. After pulling out the stopper, Emma went out of the tub and dried herself with the towel she hung above the toilet. Emma put on her pajamas and walked exhaustedly over to her bedroom. She practically threw herself on her queen-sized bed and couldn't care less that her hair was dripping wet. Just then, she heard a faint buzz of her ringtone from the kitchen. Thinking that it would probably be Will, Emma hurried towards her kitchen to answer the call and apologise to Will. When she saw the caller ID, however, she noticed that it was an unregistered number on her phone. Emma didn't want to talk to anyone at all, well, except to apologise to Will - she was too exhausted - so she rejected the call.

Several fleeting seconds after the call was rejected, Emma received a text message. She was just about to turn off her bedroom lights and climb back to bed, but what the text message contained paralysed her. Emma was literally rooted on the spot. The text read:

- _Emma, this is Tom. Please answer my call. I really need to talk to you..._ -

Tom? Could it be Tom, Thomas Felton? Her Harry Potter cast mate and childhood friend, Tom? Before Emma could sort out her rapid and numerous thoughts, another call reached her phone and the alarming ringtone brought Emma back to reality. She punched the 'answer' button at once.

"Hello Em," said a familiar voice. Emma let out a soft involuntary gasp. It was indeed her HP cast mate and childhood friend, Tom.

"Oh, h-hi Tom, h-how did you get m-my number?" Emma stuttered a response. She swore at herself in her mind for sounding so idiotic.

"I asked Rupert" was his brief reply. Tom heaved a sigh and took a lengthy pause. Emma felt the butterflies in her stomach squirm.

"Emma…" Tom's voice was weak and sadness was evident in it. Emma tightened her grip on the phone as a result of her nerves and sat on her bed to steady herself. She felt like she could have just passed out hearing Tom's miserable tone.

"Jade broke up with me," continued Tom, "and you might want to ask, 'what's that got to do with me?' Well, I honestly don't know but right now you're the only person I want to talk to. Actually, scratch that, I _need_ to talk to you."

Emma was at a severe loss for words. Tom resumed speaking.

"I've missed you, Em. We haven't been actually talking to each other for years now. To think of it, we haven't been chatting like we used to since the release of Prisoners of Azkaban…"

Emma forced a convincing laugh. She was dying inside. Tom seemed to be hesitating. Emma grew anxious. After a torturous pause, Tom spoke again.

"The reason Jade left me was because I don't love her enough, she said. She claimed that my thoughts were often not on her when we're spending time together. She thinks that I've been unfaithful. Of course, she had no proof whatsoever to accuse me, but she said she knows that I never did truly love her. Jade said that she's done trying to make me love her and she said she should've realised years ago. Emma, I'm really confused."

"Do you love her then? If you do, just get her back," Emma surprised herself by speaking normally and most of all, by betraying her own feelings. Since when did she become so selfless? Did she love Tom _that_ deeply? Emma was as confused as Tom just then.

Tom hesitated again for an even longer period. Emma's grip on the phone grew even tighter. Finally, Tom spoke again and Emma let out the breath that she had been holding.

"What she told me made me realise something, Emma. It's that I never _loved_ her. She's a brilliant girl, and I really liked her, but that was it. I didn't love her, although I kept convincing myself that I do. Emma… The truth is, maybe she's right. Maybe Jade's right about me being unfaithful. I've always thought about you all the while I was dating her. I don't know why I feel the need to tell you this. Heck, I don't even know where all this sudden courage came from. Emma, I know you have a boyfriend right now, so I'm not asking for anything you can't give me. All I want is for us to go back to being friends. I don't want to stay this way forever, Emma. I can't stand it. I love you too much…" Tom gasped quietly as soon as he realised that he had said the strong word, "Oh goodness, I can't believe I said that out loud."

Emma's anxious expression switched into a stoned one and at last, her face lit up with a blissful smile as what Tom just told her sunk in. He loved her. Emma almost couldn't believe it, but then again, it really was Tom on the other side of the line. Maybe she was dreaming? As that question crossed her mind, Emma pinched herself hard in the left thigh with her free hand.

"OUCH!" she screamed in agony. That hurt.

"Em! What happened?" Panic was evident in Tom's voice. Emma couldn't help but beam at Tom's anxiety. She tried hard to shake her smile off her face but she gave in to her cheeky delight in the end.

"Nothing, I just pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming," she murmured embarrassedly. Tom laughed but went silent again afterwards.

"Oh, I have another thing to tell you: I'm right outside your flat building right now. I didn't know why I came all the way here… I was just driving and as I was carried away with my thoughts of you, I ended up here. I'm going up, alright? What's your unit number?" he said after the long pause.

Emma told her unit number and hung up the call. She squealed excitedly and scolded herself for it almost immediately afterwards. She bit her bottom lip in an unsuccessful attempt to stop herself from smiling. Her cheeks were definitely bright red and her ear-to-ear grin complemented them. Emma never thought that she would one day become her over-animated twelve-year-old self again, let alone tonight, but her actions were proving otherwise. Her jumpiness and joyful squeals were much too childish for her liking, but she couldn't help it – every little thought of Tom loving her all those years sent jolts of ecstasy down her spine. Then, her doorbell rang. Emma walked nervously over towards her door.

The door opened slowly to reveal a tall, muscular figure. The man had his back facing the door and Emma observed his broad shoulders and gorgeously messed-up sandy blond hair. Tom was in truth facing away from the door because he was just as nervous yet excited to see Emma. He was even murmuring encouragement to himself in order to calm down. Any random person who did not know who he was might just pass him off as a madman seeing him there. Emma, however, found his nerves to be irresistibly cute.

Tom must've realised that someone was eyeing every inch of him, for he suddenly turned around and faced Emma. His face froze upon seeing her lovely figure at the doorframe. Tom was as handsome as ever and Emma was lost in his deep blue eyes. His mouth opened slightly as if about to say something and Emma was attentive again. However, before he had the chance to blurt a word out, Emma interjected him.

"I love you too."

Emma stopped there and waited for a response. Tom seemed to be at a complete loss for words and this made Emma paranoid. She felt her hands tremble and the woozy sensation she had been feeling intensified. Luckily, her anxiety was cut short by a very daring gesture by Tom. His lips had crashed into hers passionately and he placed both his hands on the small of her back. Emma wrapped her arms around Tom's neck and returned the kiss with just as much fervour. The two shared a long, ardent kiss... When they pulled away for air, they kept their foreheads against each other's and Emma could feel Tom's heart palpitating just as strongly as hers. The two lovebirds grinned at each other and shared one final soft kiss.

A gush of warmth filled Emma and Tom's hearts. They both knew then, that they were meant to be.

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There! I sincerely hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to REVIEW! I get my motivation from your lovely reviews :)

Oh, and THANKS FOR READING!

A/N: If you're a second-time reader for this one-shot, you might have noticed slight changes. Well, that's because I edited some parts... That's all.


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